Before They Were Great
by onlyonceinforever
Summary: Two years before the trio came to Hogwarts, there were different stories. This is the one of a game called Quidditch and a boy named Oliver who found someone whose unbridled passion matched his own. :ON HIATUS:
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:As of the last time I checked, I don't own Harry Potter. I suppose that if I did, I wouldn't be forced to resort to counting down the hours until the new book comes out.**

**A/N: Sorry, this would have been out sooner, but I kinda got myself banned from the site for a week, so I couldn't post it. **

**Before They Were Great**

Kayla Joseph was not having a good night. The seventh year Gryffindor had turned the lights out hours ago to no avail. Sleep refused to come to the emotionally and physically drained student; too many nights of studying 'till the wee hours of the morning could attest to that.

Kayla turned over one last time, only to have sleep driven away once again by her restless mind. Finally, she climbed out of bed and moved to her wooden desk silently, flipping the 'on' switch to a small desk lamp as she went.

Sighing, Kayla glanced over to her roommate Sky's bed, only to discover that it was empty. _Oh well_, she supposed, _She's probably out with James. _Sky and her boyfriend James were known for their rather promiscuous behavior from time to time.

Kayla shrugged and pulled an open loose-leaf notebook into her lap. She picked up a battered paperback book from where it lay open, a random sock serving as a bookmark, on the desk. Kayla sighed again and began to write. After all, her team had a match later that week, and it was her personal last chance to bring the Quidditch Cup home to Gryffindor.

**Wow, that was...short. As in, unusually so. Oh well. I suppose I'll just have to write an especially long chapter next to make up for it.**

**7/5**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I still don't own jack.**

Kayla awoke the next morning to a very sore neck. As it would turn out, she had fallen asleep at her desk, the notebook serving as a pillow. The result was a series of marks along the side of her face, courtesy of the notebook's spiral binding. A streak of blue ink slashed across Kayla's cheek, completing the look.

Begrudgingly, Kayla headed down the stairs of the girl's dormitory to the Gryffindor common room, where she was met by a cheery red-headed sixth year with an abundance of freckles.

"So, you ready for today?" He asked, giving Kayla a wide grin.

Kayla stared at him blankly and raised one eyebrow, waiting for clarification as to what exactly it was that she should be ready for.

"Quidditch tryouts. Three o'clock at the pitch. You can't seriously tell me that you've forgotten?"

The light-bulb went on in Kayla's mind. She slapped herself in the forehead with the palm of her hand and responded:

"Right! Of course, how _could_ I forget? It's only what I've been talking about constantly for the past three weeks."

Charlie grinned again.

"That's what I thought. Can't wait to deal with the little, untrained maggots, can you?"

"Nope. You know me, with the loving of the maggots and such. It must have just slipped my mind."

Charlie gave her a concerned look and observed her face closely.

"You haven't been sleeping, have you?"

Kayla avoided his gaze and looked away, watching two fourth year students fighting over who would get the last piece of gum.

"No, I'm fine." She met his skeptical look and protested, "Really. I am."

Charlie didn't push the topic further, but instead suggested that they head down to the Great Hall for breakfast. Kayla agreed and followed him out of the portrait hole.

On the way down to the Great Hall, they animatedly discussed the upcoming Quidditch season and their expectations for the new team.

"I don't know what we're going to do about a Keeper," Kayla commented as they walked through the large wooden doors and headed for the Gryffindor table, "Ever since Kevin left last year I've been freaking out. There's probably not anyone around who can pick up that kind of slack."

"Yeah, but look at it this way - you still have me. And that means the entire team's going to be okay, especially when I catch the Snitch before the other team even has the chance to score. Heck, we don't need a new Keeper. Just leave everything to me."

"Yeah, and let the entire team go down in flames? I think not. Let's just hope that one of the new kids can do something related to playing Quidditch."

Charlie sulked as they sat down, while Kayla piled her plate with both pancakes and waffles.

"Look on the bright side, though," she said while drizzling syrup on the entire thing, "We still have all our Chasers, which means you don't have to sit through endless speeches about how I now have to rebuild the entire line and teach some noob all the plays."

Charlie looked up, pouring himself a goblet of pumpkin juice simultaneously.

"Yeah, I suppose that's true. Now I'm only going to have to sit through endless speeches about how stupid it is that people graduate and how you now have to rebuild the majority of the team and teach the noobs all the plays."

Kayla stuck her tongue out in a mature fashion before laughing, punching Charlie in the shoulder slightly harder than he would have liked. She pulled a crumpled piece of paper out of the pocket of her robes and unfolded it, revealing its contents. On the sheet was a complete list of the people that would be attending tryouts that afternoon, with information from their name to what type of broom they rode. Kayla studied it for a moment, calculating how long the event would take. While she was in the middle of a particularly complex piece of multiplication, a third year student interrupted her.

"Excuse me," he said politely, "Is it too late to sign up for the Quidditch tryouts?"

Kayla ignored him for a moment, finally coming to a conclusion. After she had jubilantly scribbled the time on the sheet, she looked up, seeing a brown haired boy of medium build standing on the opposite side of the table from her.

"What?"

"Is it to late to sign up for the Quidditch tryouts?"

"Um..." Kayla exchanged a look with Charlie, who promptly jumped in.

"That depends. What position do you play?"

"Keeper."

Kayla and Charlie exchanged excited glances before Kayla responded,

"Nope. You're...Oliver, right?"

The boy nodded, looking considerably relieved.

"Okay then, Oliver, what's your last name?"

"Wood."

"And you're a Keeper, correct?"

"Yes."

"Third year?"

"Yup."

"And your favorite teacher is...?"

Charlie stared at her.

"What does that have to do with anything?"

Kayla shrugged.

"Nothing. I just like asking questions that make me feel superior. So," she turned back to Oliver, who was still standing there with a relieved look on his face, "I'll see you at three then, at the pitch."

Oliver nodded frantically and scurried off to meet his friends, smiling hugely. Kayla opened her mouth to speak, but was cut off by the sound of the bell tolling, signaling students and teachers alike to the first class of the day. She and Charlie stood up, tiredly observing the uneaten food disappear and the dishes magically wash themselves.

"Well," Kayla stated as they made their way out the doors, "At least maybe we won't suck _too_ badly."

**A/N: Before you all try and eat my soul and whatnot, I would just like to point out that I KNOW that Charlie was stated in the books as being Quidditch Captain and I KNOW that it might have been stated exactly how many years before Ron and them came that Bill and Charlie left Hogwarts, and frankly, I don't care. This is my story, and if you have a problem with the way I'm working things, then don't read it. I won't miss you. **

**To the rest of you - thanks for reading and the next chapter will be up eventually.**

**7/6**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I'll own HP&THBP in 10 days, but until then I don't own much other than the characters you've never heard of.**

_Somewhere near the Quidditch pitch shortly after three o'clock_

Charlie looked around, a confused look on his freckled face.

"Where _is_ she?" he asked to no one in particular.

_Down the Charms corridor of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, the same time_

"Shit shit shit shit _shit_. I am _so_ dead." Kayla muttered, running down the corridor, black robes blowing out behind her as she went, broomstick in hand. She took the stairs two at a time, desperately hoping that the staircases didn't choose that moment to switch. Finally, she was at the main doors of the school and all that was left was to bolt down to the Quidditch pitch.

_By the pitch_

Charlie breathed a sigh of relief as he spotted Kayla sprinting in the direction of the congregated Quidditch players. She skidded to a stop by them, breathing heavily. She stripped off her heavy robes, opting for only a white shirt, tie, and black slacks.

"Okay," she panted, rolling up her sleeves, "Sorry I'm late. Had a minor misunderstanding about something with Professor Flitwick that involved a bag of Dungbombs that I didn't leave there. _Anyway_, I'm here now, so let's get this show on the road, shall we?"

Charlie rolled his eyes in response, but climbed on his broom and began to take off.

"Whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa!" Kayla stated, "And exactly _what_ do you think you're doing?"

"Um, playing Quidditch?"

"No. Wrong answer. _You_ are now going to help _me_ organize these maggots into groups according to position. _Then_ we can play Quidditch."

Charlie mumbled something incoherently under his breath, which Kayla chose to ignore. They sorted the tryout-ees into individual positions, sticking a senior player or two (depending on what was available) with the new players. The results were either forlorn or entertaining; Kayla wasn't sure which.

Two lone students stood in the Keeper group (Oliver and some other kid Kayla didn't know). Since the former Gryffindor Keeper had graduated the previous spring, there was no senior player in the group. To compensate, Kayla put one of the the older Chasers, her seventh year companion Christine "Pindi" Pindir, in to supervise.

Five people were in the Beater group, including the sole remaining senior, sixth year Shane West. Kayla recognized one of the potentials as Shane's younger brother, Matt. If what Shane said was true, then the tryouts for that position would be basically unnecessary. However, there were three other people that deserved a chance, which meant at least another half hour of Kayla's time.

Charlie, being the only Seeker, stood alone. After a moment of pondering, he joined the other two Chasers, fourth year Mark Tokarz and Kayla, in a vain attempt to not look pathetic.

Once everyone was in their designated group, Kayla began describing the process that would ensue.

"All right, so first we're going to work in groups determined by what position you play. The players already on the team will report back to me as to what your individual level of play is. Later, we're going to play a mock game, so I can see what you're like actually on the field. Or in the air, as the case may be. I'll be rotating around the groups, so if you have any questions, you can ask me either then or now. Any questions?" Silence was the response. "All righty then. Let's get this show on the road, shall we?"

With that, the groups went off in their separate directions. Kayla and Mark wandered around from group to group, observing the progress or the lack thereof. When they got to the Keeper group, Kayla pulled Pindi aside.

"So," she started, "How're they doing?"

Pindi cast a skeptical gaze around the mini group before responding.

"I dunno. They seem enthusiastic enough, but I don't think either one of them can match Kevin's play level."

Kayla sighed.

"Yeah, well, we knew when Kevin left that we would be in for hell trying to replace him. It's not my fault that I know how to pick the best."

Both girls smiled before resuming their solemn mood.

"So, are we totally screwed?"

Pindi shook her head.

"I don't think so. That Oliver kid seems like he could do well, given the proper training. We could whip 'em into shape in no time flat."

Kayla raised a skeptical eyebrow.

"You think?"

Pindi nodded.

"Okay then, that's it. We'll just have to - what is Mark _doing_?"

Both girls switched their gaze from the two Keepers to the fourth year Chaser, who was sitting atop his broom, bucking up and down, waving his arms in the air, yelling something about how chickens were trying to steal his soul. Kayla and Pindi exchanged exasperated looks before heading over in the deranged boy's direction.

"MARK ANDREW TOKARZ! What in the _hell_ do you think you're doing?" Kayla screamed, quickly becoming infuriated.

Mark caught the warning signs and immediately stopped what he was doing. Kayla stormed over to him and yanked the boy off his broom by the neck of his robes.

"I'll repeat myself - what in the _hell_ do you think you're doing? Did I not _specifically_ tell you that you were not - repeat _not_ - to do anything to make an ass out of yourself or me during this entire afternoon? Did I not say that?"

Mark stood dead still and remained silent, waiting for the wave of insults to pass. When he was sure that Kayla was done ranting, he responded.

"Yes?"

"Are you asking me or telling me?"

"Telling you?"

"Right. Now what do you have to say for yourself?"

"Sorry, Kayla."

"That's what I thought. Now get your ass back over there and do something worthwhile, will you? We're going to play soon."

Mark walked away, looking relieved. Kayla turned back to the group which had congregated upon seeing that someone was getting yelled at.

"All right, I want you and you on the field, now." She said, pointing to Oliver and Matt West. "The rest of you can sit over there until they're done. Any questions?"

A Beater by the name of Christian Hayden raised his hand.

"Yeah?"

"Do you yell at all your players like that?"

The question raised a chuckle from the rest of the group. Kayla smiled weakly and said,

"No, only the ones I _really_ like. No, I'm kidding. Mark's like my little brother. That gives me full rights to bitch at him like he's related to me. The rest of you don't get that privilege."

"Unless you're me," Charlie stated, "I get yelled at the most."

"Right. This team is like a family. If you want to be a part of that family, you need to demonstrate that you can interact with my 'siblings' in a way that'll make the rest of us proud. It's not just on the pitch, either. During class, downtime, whatever, if you need something, just ask one of your teammates. They'll be more than happy to help you out. Or, they _should_ be." Kayla shot a pointed stare in Charlie's direction.

"Whaaaat? I help out just as much as the next guy."

"Yeah, if by 'help' you mean delegate to another person. Cuz you're good at that."

Charlie stuck his tongue out in a mature fashion, earning another laugh from the rest of the people present.

"Okay, though, seriously, we've wasted quite enough time. Let's get on with this thing so I can go finish that five foot essay for Snape on the properties of wolf's bane outside of potion making."

"Wasn't that assigned two weeks ago?" Pindi asked, a confused look on her face.

"Um...noooo. Anyways, changing the subject to why we're supposed to be here, everyone in the air. Now."

The order was promptly carried out, and the practice game soon began. After twenty or so minutes, the players switched, and so on and so forth until everyone had gotten their chance to play. Eventually, the senior members of the team seceded from the rest of the group to discuss who they thought should be on the team. Finally, a decision was made and they turned back to the group.

"Okay, first I would just like to thank you all for coming out and trying, um, you all did well, but there are only a limited number of spots on the team, so only two of you will be walking away from here happy people. Uh, Oliver Wood will be the new Keeper, and Matt West will be the new Beater. Congratulations, Oliver and Matt, practice tomorrow at 5, um... Thanks for coming out, everyone. Now go do your homework."

The rejected players headed dejectedly up to the castle, heads hung. Matt and Oliver hung around, however, Matt waiting for Shane, Oliver for Kayla.

"So," Kayla said once he had caught up to her, "Congratulations. You made it."

Oliver smiled, observing Matt jumping on Shane's back in jubilation.

"Thanks. Look, I know I need a lot of work, but I just wanted to tell you that I'm willing to do whatever it takes to become the best."

"The best, huh? You set high goals. I like that in my players. Look, if I didn't think you would be willing to work hard, I wouldn't have put you on my team. I'm a very demanding person, believe it or not, and I expect my players to do what I tell them."

"I will! I mean, I'll do whatever it takes."

Kayla smiled.

"Good. I respect that. Now, sorry, but if you don't mind, I have this huge essay due tomorrow that I've been putting off for two weeks. So, congrats again. See you tomorrow!"

With that, Kayla took off, sprinting up the hill to the castle where she met up with Charlie.

"So," he said, smirking slightly at his panting teammate, "You happy with your new family?"

Kayla nodded.

"Yeah. Maybe this year won't suck _too_ bad after all."

7/7


End file.
